Ukranian refugees arriving in surrounding countries are finding it difficult to find housing or shelter and this has been doubly difficult for those who brought their pets with them. One man doing all he can to help is Aaron Jackson of Planting Peace - a Topeka-based non-profit organization seeking to spread "peace in a hurting world".
Aaron was motivated to help when he saw a news piece on the thousands of refugees arriving in Poland who had no place to shelter when they arrived. Within 23 hours he had travelled from his home in Kansas to the Poland-Ukraine border, ready to help.
When he arrived he was shocked at the numbers the border was having to deal with, especially when the delays in processing them meant people were having to wait in temperatures of 45°F and colder. He told the Topeka Capital-Journal, "There's an estimated 48-hour wait to get into Poland. I don't understand how people are doing a two-day wait in this type of temperature."
Although he was originally just there to help any of the refugees, he was moved by people who had carried their pets on their backs on their long trek. Now he's doing all he can to get shelter for the families with pets who are harder to rehouse.
His success stories are truly uplifting, as you can see from this photo and caption that Aaron recently shared on Facebook:
"Found this child and puppy all bundled up on the Ukraine and Poland border," he commented. "It's really heartwarming to see families not give up on their pets. Escaping a war but not giving up on your dog is the most heartwarming thing. Planting Peace has secured one house that is dog friendly. We're working on securing more."
It's not the first time that Aaron has lent a hand to those in need. He had already helped in Burma when the Rohingya genocide began and he also worked at the U.S. and Mexico border, providing aid to El Salvadorians, Hondurans and Nicaraguans in need.
Aaron's posts show one man can make a difference, and we here at PetsRadar applaud him.
